bgorman@heraldsun.com; 419-6668
CHAPEL HILL -- North Carolina has had one of the toughest basketball schedules in the nation since coach Roy Williams arrived six years ago, but this year's schedule could be the most challenging yet.
The No. 6 Tar Heels will take on four, possibly five, ranked teams in the span of eight games starting tonight with No. 15 Ohio State at Madison Square Garden in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic (9:15 p.m., ESPN2).
"Playing that [schedule] with perhaps such an inexperienced team is not the wisest thing to do," Williams said.
UNC (3-0) will play either No. 13 California or Syracuse -- which is ranked No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today poll but not in the AP Top 25 -- on Friday in either the championship or consolation game. Cal and Syracuse play today at 7 p.m. (ESPN2).
The Tar Heels then will host No. 2 Michigan State on Dec. 1 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, followed by trips to Kentucky (Dec. 5) and the Dallas Cowboys Stadium to face No. 3 Texas (Dec. 19).
That run will be the most ranked teams UNC has played before Christmas in the Williams era, with the previous high being two.
"I knew it was going to be a good schedule," Williams said. "Probably the game I should've not have taken was Texas. But it sounded unique, playing in the Cowboys Stadium and everybody's just been raving about."
Williams said no matter what happens against those ranked teams -- win or lose -- he'll be there to remind his sqaud that it is early in the season. It's a long season, and Williams said he is just trying to get the Tar Heels to be consistent with their effort and concentration.
"We can gain a great deal of confidence; we can lose a great deal of confidence," Williams said. "I think my job is to do the same thing I'm going to do every day, and that's I'm going to be consistent with how we teach and what we teach and how much we push them."
The Tar Heels certainly are still working on giving consistent effort after an uninspired win over Valparaiso on Sunday. After the game, Williams said UNC would have no chance in New York if the Tar Heels play the way they did against the Crusaders.
But by Wednesday, Williams said he had seen effort hustle in practice and was pleased with the enthusiasm.
"I think we were fat and happy, there's no question," Williams said. "We watched [the game tape Tuesday] for an hour and a half to an hour and 40 minutes, and the ol' eye in the sky don't lie. I think in some ways it was probably embarrassing to them, But sometimes you get fat and happy and you don't really realize you're doing it."
The Buckeyes (2-0) are led by Evan Turner, who is a guard-forward listed at 6-7, 205 pounds. The junior has had an impressive start to the season, averaging 19 points and 17 rebounds.
Williams said Turner presents matchup difficulties, not just because of his talent but because he can play anywhere from point guard to power forward.
"Everybody on our perimeter and possibly even one of our post guys will end up guarding Evan during the course of the game," Williams said.
Williams is hoping his team doesn't have another performance like against Valpo, where he said the Tar Heels slipped in every phase of the game. But he's also learning to be more understanding of such an inexperienced squad.
"[Patience] is something I have to be aware of with this team," Williams said. "I'm going to push this team, I'm going to be hard on this team, but I've also got to be understanding. It's got to be a little bit of both."
